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My Father passed away in January this year and had previously changed his phone line etc. to TalkTalk. On behalf of my mother I tried to contact them on the 16th February to advise them of the change in circumstances. I was cut off 5 times whilst trying to get through and I finally gave up.
I tried again on the 17th and I eventually got through to a male and slowly explained that I was calling on behalf of my mother to advise of my fathers death whose name the telephone contract was in. I gave him my name when asked and was then informed that due to data protection laws he couldn't speak with me and would only speak with the account holder (my late father). Again I explained that it wasn't possible but the operator at the call centre just kept repeating "Yes I can only speak with your father, he is the account holder." This continued for some time and I just couldn't convince the fellow that this wasn't going to be possible unless he had a medium to hand.
Eventually I became rather annoyed and distressed so asked to speak with his supervisor. When put through to the supervisor I asked if he had been advised fully of the circumstances, to which he replied "Yes, but he had to support his colleague in that they could only speak with the account holder due to data protection." At this point I pointed out that his colleague obviously hadn't explained the situation very well, because if he had, then as I would like the account holder to speak with them, it was just impossible!
On that note he then said he would put some paperwork in the post (allow 7 days) to change the contract into my mothers name! My response was, "You do that, but I would then allow the paperwork another 7 days to return because my mother will not want to have the contract. It will be notification that we no longer wish your services as the contract was with my father who is now DEAD." This appeared to be something they just didn't seem able to comprehend!
The contract is now null and void. I allowed for the last payment of direct debit to go from the account and then closed it. In the meantime notifying BT we were so happy to rejoin them and that everything has now been set up for them to take over the phone line and contract this week. But just to put the tin hat on it TalkTalk sent my DECEASED father a letter last Friday suggesting that he set up a direct debit for his phone line to prevent him incurring any late payment charges! So nearly a month on they still haven't been able to comprehend that he has passed away and to this date we have still not received the paperwork that they were sending out!
I think its time TalkTalk... began to talk talk to each other!!!!
By: furious female
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My friend has the same situation they have cut the WiFi of but are still charging her. They just won't listen.
05/04/22 Miss piggy
1
Similar issues mum died so i left the line live while settling her affairs i then paid the outstanding bill on the TalkTalk account and tried to cancel the service i gave them all the relevant information bills i had paid account number Tel number mums name my name but not enough they stated as i did not know the online password they could not close the account it would seem that TalkTalk polices are to make it as difficult as possible to close accounts.
24/08/21 Frustrated
1
Ditto all your experiences. Talktalk are absolutely the WORST customer service I have ever had. They couldn't handle my power of attorney for my dad's a/c and now they can't handle his death. Just terrible.
31/07/21 Steve
1
Same thing has just happened with my mum. Doesn’t owe anybody a penny, worked hard all her life and recently retired from nursing over 40years. Admitted to hospital with underlying health issues in early October this year. Sadly after 4 weeks she contracted covid in hospital and passed away, her last direct debit was paid on 30/11/20 and my brother called them today to cancel and advised agent she has passed, and said she will need to pay the next month (up until 30/12/20).Really? since when do deceased people get to use WiFi and landline? Already paid over 3 weeks after her death, which agreed is our fault as more important issues at the time. Big company like talk talk and no morals. My mum lived alone, so nobody else using it, and house needs to be sold. Chase the people that never pay their bills, and hopefully they are still alive and breathing..Absolute disgrace talk talk..I work for telecommunication company and when I receive calls from a deceased customers relatives we cancel the account down with no cost. Talk Talk?? Never ever ever go back to them, had issues myself 12 years ago. Absolute shambolic company!!
04/12/20 Peedoff
0
Had similar lack of talk talk service over the last month! My father dies 19 March... I closed his bank account 23rd march.. I have since been trying to get some one on the phone at 'talk talk' to talk to!
No chance of that so today after receiving another bill I went on their online chat room... I explained that the account was in my mother's name even though she died Nov 2015... (apparently my dad had the same issues trying to explain that)
I said I wanted to cancel the contract as my father had recently died... They went onto ask me for my mother's memorable word and password??? I said how the heck would I know... She's dead!
They said they could not access the account to close it without these details! I said if there were no NOK what would you do?
They went onto say I could put the account In my name and pay the balance then close it.
However they still needed the password to get into the account... I said send the bill to my solicitor but I will Not pay anymore than stated in today's bill.
Insensitive - and dam right stupid!
Infuriated is an understatement!
No customer service.. No understanding or compassion.
30/04/20 Anna
No chance of that so today after receiving another bill I went on their online chat room... I explained that the account was in my mother's name even though she died Nov 2015... (apparently my dad had the same issues trying to explain that)
I said I wanted to cancel the contract as my father had recently died... They went onto ask me for my mother's memorable word and password??? I said how the heck would I know... She's dead!
They said they could not access the account to close it without these details! I said if there were no NOK what would you do?
They went onto say I could put the account In my name and pay the balance then close it.
However they still needed the password to get into the account... I said send the bill to my solicitor but I will Not pay anymore than stated in today's bill.
Insensitive - and dam right stupid!
Infuriated is an understatement!
No customer service.. No understanding or compassion.
0
I called AOL an asked for my wifes broadband to be put in my name as she had passed away she wasnt behind in payments or anything and the payments would continue as normal , i was disgusted when he said i had to send them my wifes death certificate for what reason do they need it to change a name on an account , needless to say i told him where to go an i will be changing my broadband .
06/02/14 racehorses
-2
As far as i know, Talk Talk are A O L in disquise. A O L stands for:-- Asshols on line. We got rid of them a long time ago. If you want to give people hell (mother in law), sign them up to Talk Talk.
08/10/12 arthurb
-1
I would recommend that all of you having problems with this dreadful, inhuman company goes to the getoutofdebtfree.org website (the name is a bit misleading - they are not suggesting you renege on contracts), which will give advice on how to deal with so-called debt collectors. They also provide many other invaluable tips that everyone simply HAS to know about in this sad era of dishonesty, fraud and insatiable greed by the corporations.
You never need to endure ONE sleepless night due to this type of criminal (and it is criminal) behaviour. Their methods need to be hidden from you because they know they are doing dark, sinister things - and we all know that secrets are seldom in the cause of goodness and light. So when you know your rights and how much power you actually have, it is their turn to be caught back-footed.
If possible, buy a recorder for your phone (electronics websites have these. They are quite expensive, but offset against the peace of mind they can bring you, the cost will soon be forgotten) and tape EVERY CALL from corporations, importantly TELLING them at the beginning of the call that recording is in progress. This will make them a lot more careful about what they promise and will back you up when (there's almost always a 'when' with some companies) there's a problem caused by their lies. Things have changed tremendously from times gone by when there was a certain amount of implied trust between companies and their customers. Now they are after just one thing: Profit. And they will do anything to get the most they can, irrespective of decent human values - they have none.
Therefore you have to protect yourself from the outset, no matter how nice 'Sally from Customer Relations' sounded. She may be great, but she has to do what her bosses tell her and they are quite possibly sociopathic, promoted to this position BECAUSE they have no decent values and care about no one except themselves. Treat each company always with quiet politeness (never lose your temper, that's what they want) but also with a complete awareness that at some point their hellish drive for profit will, to them, ALWAYS outweigh your needs, wants and rights.
Surviving nowadays is about knowing your rights and using these rights to their maximum.
01/07/12 eyes_wide_open
You never need to endure ONE sleepless night due to this type of criminal (and it is criminal) behaviour. Their methods need to be hidden from you because they know they are doing dark, sinister things - and we all know that secrets are seldom in the cause of goodness and light. So when you know your rights and how much power you actually have, it is their turn to be caught back-footed.
If possible, buy a recorder for your phone (electronics websites have these. They are quite expensive, but offset against the peace of mind they can bring you, the cost will soon be forgotten) and tape EVERY CALL from corporations, importantly TELLING them at the beginning of the call that recording is in progress. This will make them a lot more careful about what they promise and will back you up when (there's almost always a 'when' with some companies) there's a problem caused by their lies. Things have changed tremendously from times gone by when there was a certain amount of implied trust between companies and their customers. Now they are after just one thing: Profit. And they will do anything to get the most they can, irrespective of decent human values - they have none.
Therefore you have to protect yourself from the outset, no matter how nice 'Sally from Customer Relations' sounded. She may be great, but she has to do what her bosses tell her and they are quite possibly sociopathic, promoted to this position BECAUSE they have no decent values and care about no one except themselves. Treat each company always with quiet politeness (never lose your temper, that's what they want) but also with a complete awareness that at some point their hellish drive for profit will, to them, ALWAYS outweigh your needs, wants and rights.
Surviving nowadays is about knowing your rights and using these rights to their maximum.
-9
It's very simple to find out any topic on net as compared to books, as I found this paragraph at this website.
02/04/12 It's very simple to find out any topic on net as compared to books, as I found this paragraph at
-6
Well done you. Nice to see the little person win occasionally!
Just remeber to keep that email/letter FFS
24/08/11 Freddie
Just remeber to keep that email/letter FFS
-7
I dont know if the previous poster has had any satisfaction but I would like to report a victory for the little person!!! I contacted TT in January to request closure of my account and was told that I would have to pay an "early cessation fee" because my 24 month contract was not due to expire until September 2012. I had no notification that I had entered into a new contract in Septermber 2010 and have been disputing this ever since. I refused to speak to them on the phone so all communication has been done by e-mail from work! My account was meant to be closed in mid February 2011, a week later my phone was still live, when I asked why this was I was told that I had telephoned to cancel my account closure request the day after TT had sent out a letter confirming the closure. To this day I have not received a letter from them. The account was closed & phone disconnected at end of March, but still had the "contract cessation fee" to battle about! I stated that I had received a phone call in September & the agent told me about changes I could have to my account - I agreed to nothing and at no time during the call did he mention a new contract. Over the next few weeks I think I was replied to by every member of the Customer Services Team who "on checking my account" gave me umpteen different start dates for the contract, month and year!! I was then told that TT had receipt of a letter from me confirming acceptance of the new contract. Raging now, I demanded to be forwarded a copy of this letter & to hear the phone call from September in which I agreed to the contract, only to be told that I would have to send proof of my identification, a covering letter detailing what I wanted plus a cheque for £10. I refused, but kept being told that this was the only way I would obtain proof. Weeks later, I was informed by another TT Customer Services agent that the phone call would be irretreivable because they dont keep calls over six months old - this was denied later but I am so glad I kept print-offs of all e-mails right from when the farce started in January! In May this year, I received 2 e-mails from TT with another address to contact which would guarantee a speedy response - I sent 2 e-mails and am still waiting for a reply of any kind!! At the same time all communication from TT stopped and the Debt Collector letters began, with £20 extra added on to the original amount of £119.49. I e-mailed the original address with my complaints again, only to get the same blurb spouted back at me, that I was liable to pay this fee and if I sent ID, letter & £10 I could hear the phone call...... I sent instead a recorded delivery letter to Head of Complaints, CEO's Office, Talk Talk Group, PO Box 344, Unit 19, Southampton SO30 2NP on Friday 19th August, and informed the Customer Services Dept, by e-mail of what I had done, was told that my complaint would be "escalated" to a C/S Team Leader, who would reply within 72 hours! I sent another e-mail on Tuesday, he replied on Tuesday telling me that on "checking my account" that I was still liable to pay and listed the various methods of payment. Anyhoo, to cut a long tedious story short, today I received an e-mail from Ryan Sadler, CEO Complaints Executive, who advised me that following investigations into my case they have no record of the telephone call and therefore cannot prove that the Customer Services agent advised me of automatic renewal of my contract and as there were no changes to my account since 2007 that the bill has been cancelled They have also informed the Debt Collectors to close their case against me and their action will have no effect on my Credit Rating. I am extremely releived that I didnt just give in to them & pay up and hope this helps anyone else in the same or similar situation. WOOOO HOOOO!!! IM FREE OF TALK TALK!!!!
24/08/11 Di from Aberdeen
-15
I am beside myself with worry, I closed my Talk Talk account last year but still get bills and phone calls and now am having threatening letters from debt collectors! I have rung and written several times to no avail. Please can someone help me with advise on how to stop this. These companies can drive a person to distraction. I do not know where to go from here and would appreciate any help.
09/05/11 Jul
-12
OK Talk Talk their a comunications company right? Lets look at how they communicate!
I Phone the 'Customer care department' about a replacement top-box going wrong within hours of being fitted and the female answers with "Oh yea, the engineer gave you a reconditioned box" "it's down to him"! So you are saying its not Talk talk fault the box went wrong? "Yea, he gave you a dud box". So the fact the replacement box was boxed up and in a sealed box, its still his fault? "ah yea". Can I speak to your supervisor? Big sigh and slams phone down! Great customer service.
As for my orgininal issue, guess what once again the scheduled engineer has failed to turn up!
Oh and just to add to the joke that is Talk Talk, their Customer Service manager phoned me on the day the box was replaced and promiced to phone back the next night to see if things were better. Guess what? Dam you guess.. He never phoned... What a suprise.. NOT!
Talk Talk, how is it you are only the second most complained about company in Great Britain? Surely you should be first!!!
25/03/11 Blank Screen
I Phone the 'Customer care department' about a replacement top-box going wrong within hours of being fitted and the female answers with "Oh yea, the engineer gave you a reconditioned box" "it's down to him"! So you are saying its not Talk talk fault the box went wrong? "Yea, he gave you a dud box". So the fact the replacement box was boxed up and in a sealed box, its still his fault? "ah yea". Can I speak to your supervisor? Big sigh and slams phone down! Great customer service.
As for my orgininal issue, guess what once again the scheduled engineer has failed to turn up!
Oh and just to add to the joke that is Talk Talk, their Customer Service manager phoned me on the day the box was replaced and promiced to phone back the next night to see if things were better. Guess what? Dam you guess.. He never phoned... What a suprise.. NOT!
Talk Talk, how is it you are only the second most complained about company in Great Britain? Surely you should be first!!!
-1
talktalk --- that says it all. what a hopeless company. wrote to them complaining about broadband speed (i cant even stream music video from you tube) about 1 month ago and have heard nothing. the 'service' was better when I had dial up!!! do they even bother to read the email sent to customer service. we are all obviously just a cash cow to be ripped off and abused. do they care about their customers rights --- emphatically no. I have another 10 monts on my contract with them but I am reaching the stage where I wil just break it as they ar manifestly NOT fulfilling their side of the bargain.
22/02/11 Gordon
-6
Kathy